Coming soon. New Carlos Wilde tracks.

Every now and again, bands or individuals come along who, you feel, have that special something. The Nashville-based blues-rock band, The Bloody Nerve, is one such act, seemingly on the cusp of a deserved breakthrough, but more about them in later posts.

Another super-talented blues-rock artist I’ve been keeping an eye on hails from that most unexpected of places: Portugal. He’s the rock guitarist-singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Carlos Wilde, whom I first wrote about in December 2014.

Carlos Wilde – a great undiscovered talent.

Before we continue on about Portugal’s Carlos Wilde, since this is mainly a historical blues and rock blog, let me add that Portugal has its own part to play in the history of blues. It was a Hawaiian slide guitarist, of Portuguese heritage, Palakiko Ferreira, who went to the United States in 1914. Once there, he became the biggest star of America’s (and therefore the world’s) Hawaiian guitar era, an era which ran from 1915 to 1930.

Palakiko Ferreira, who performed as Frank Ferera, is said to have influenced blues and Hawaiian guitarists alike. In a guitar duet with his wife and recording partner, Helen Louise Ferera, Frank Ferera released a track called ‘Palakiko Blues’ in 1917, one of the earliest recordings of slide guitar with a blues title I know of. Frank’s wife, Helen Louise Ferera, is of special interest in her own right, so I’ll write a post on her down the track. Watch this space.

You can hear Frank and Helen Louise Ferera’s ‘Palakiko Blues’, and a selection of early blues slide guitar tracks, in my previous post, ‘First Slide Guitar Blues, Who, When and Where?’ Simply move onto the next story after Carlos, on this site’s front page’s ‘slider’, by clicking the arrow.

This is the guy who started slide guitar around 1885 (the dates vary but 1885 is the most common estimate( in Hawaii: Joseph Kekuku.

Hawaiian music, which peaked in 1916 as the most popular of all music genres in America, was introduced to the USA by Hawaiian guitarists in 1893. The genre had originated in Honolulu around 1885, when the schoolboy, Joseph Kekuku, ran a metal bolt up the neck of his Portuguese guitar. (The ukulele, another instrument associated with Hawaii, was also introduced to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants, mainly from Madeira and the Azores.)

Jumping forward a good century, I don’t know of any Portuguese – or continental Europeans, for that matter – who can produce such subtly blues-based guitar riffs, and rock so melodically, moodily and catchily, as Carlos Wilde. He has a unique talent for making feel-good melodious rock that encroaches into the pop sphere. It’s that catchy, which is why I feel his appeal is so universal.

Now based in Spain, Carlos is currently recording new material which he hopes will be out by September or October 2017. Being an academic with a day job – he’s an English teacher and teacher trainer – producing and recording music isn’t as easy as it sounds. As Carlos says, “During the academic year, I have little time to record, so I normally work on arrangements and song ideas. Then, over my summer break, I get down to business and try to record some tracks.

“But it’s not always as simple as that because, once you start recording, more ideas and arrangements come up and it gets to the point when I have to set myself a deadline, otherwise it will always be an unfinished business.”

I wrote in my 2014 piece on him that Carlos cut his rock teeth with a band in Ireland. I’ve since found out that Carlos Wilde was rocking long before that, performing on stage from the age of six, in his home city of Figueira da Foz, on Portugal’s west coast. He was singing fado, the Portuguese version of America’s blues, a mournful, melancholy music evoking struggle, longing and passion, that evolved on Portugal’s waterfronts in the 1820s.

“Myself and two other guys would perform for the local community, wrapped in black capes – black being associated with death, pain, misery, and so on.”

A tiny fado-singing Carlos Wilde, top right, in the cape.

“We were accompanied by professional fado guitarists. Then, as a result of having a good voice, I was allowed by my school to miss class to get voice coaching, from a piano teacher who made me go up and down scales.

Next, at the age of ten, I was invited to perform in the Casino Variety Show, singing folk and pop. And, by 12 or 13, I’d formed a band with school friends giving garage concerts for family and friends. School concerts followed when I was about 14 or 15. I’d sing Rolling Stones songs, Bob Dylan and Beatles songs, stuff by the Animals and Credence Clearwater Revival.” Good choice, Carlos. You learnt from the best.

By the age of 13, Carlos Wilde had already started gigging abroad. First up was France, then Holland. “The guitar would always go with me.”

Then came his punk period. “Yep, I’ve been on the planet awhile,” he says. Haven’t we all, Carlos? As an aside, if you’ll excuse me butting in on Carlos’s interview, this writer was well into his 30s with two children when punk struck in 1976. I was in Australia, at the time, and Australia’s The Saints and AC/DC had just cracked it the UK along with New Zealand’s Split Enz. As Sir Bob Geldolf famously put it, rock music was altered in the 1970s by three bands, three punk bands: The UK’s Sex Pistols, Australia’s Saints and America’s Ramones.

I even made a TV commercial about punk for Melbourne’s Herald evening newspaper, advertising its feature on punk in 1977. I turned up, with a nervous camera crew, to a funky (in the true sense of the word), smoke-filled venue (a bit like New Orleans’ old Funky Butt Hall), packed with pogoing punks, with metal bolts skewered through their faces, and they (as they say) were just the girls .

The main attraction was the Sydney proto-punk band, Radio Birdman, rumoured to be made up of trainee doctors. As it turns out, Radio Birdman was formed by an American ER doctor and ex-US Navy flight surgeon, Deniz Tek, so his bandmates may well have been medics.

Indeed, Deniz is still rocking, and in 2011 he joined Iggy and the Stooges as a special guest, in a tribute to his home town of Ann Arbor, Michigan. According to Wikipedia, Deniz splits his time between working in hospital emergency departments in New South Wales, Australia, and Hawaii, USA, while still taking time to record and tour.

You have to admire those musicians who keep on making music while holding down a day job, like Deniz Tek and Carlos Wilde.

After performing Portugal’s version of blues, in amateur theatre, garage bands and school concerts, Carlos Wilde got his punk bug, forming a band called The Cult, long before England’s The Cult appeared on the scene. Various bands followed including Carlos becoming lead singer of a rock band called Climax, not to be confused with England’s legendary Climax Blues Band, (whom I used to watch in the UK when they were still Climax Chicago Blues Band. They had to drop the ‘Chicago’ bit because of pressure from that famous American, group Chicago.)

But Carlos Wilde’s Climax, of course, was a Portuguese band, who opened for one of Portugal’s top rock bands, ‘Jafumega’ (broad translation: Already Lit). Then, heading for the top in Portugal, he went, instead, to Ireland to further his rock education, becoming involved with the Emerald Isle’s traditionally high-quality rock and roll scene. (Think Skid Row, Gary Moore, Rory Gallagher, Thin Lizzy, Stiff Little Fingers, U2, the Undertones and so on.)

But it’s a rare musician who makes a living doing nothing but music, so Carlos got a job in Spain. It’s a job he loves, but music, of course, is his first love. As you’ll have seen, Carlos Wilde has served a long and varied rock apprenticeship and has built up a loyal following. So join me in keeping your eyes and ears primed for his new material this (northern) autumn. It’s bound to be wild.

Some Dutch and Irish memories from Carlos Wilde.

“My punk band, The Cult, happened after secondary school. Then came Holland, where I spent a year, which was great fun – meeting great friends and beautiful girls – my first steps in teaching studies and quite a lot of music research. I was introduced to the music of Herman Brood and His Wild Romance and saw the band many times. Herman Brood became the ultimate Dutch Rock ‘n Roll icon.

“I also came across Golden Earring and lots more Punk bands like The Flyin’ Spiderz, Ivy Green, et al. When I went back to Portugal for a short spell, Herman Brood was aired on Portuguese radio for the first time, thanks to a tape that a friend recorded from my vinyls. I also met and chatted for a while with Herbert Curiel, the guy who filmed Cha Cha – a movie featuring Herman Brood, Nina Hagen and Lene Lovich.

“In Ireland, I met quite a lot of people in the music and film scene, including Larry Mullen Jr. and Adam Clayton from U2. I used to see them often because, at the time, I was sharing a house with a hairdresser who ended up working for them. Thanks to that, I ended up going to a concert in Croke Park, Dublin, with a VIP ticket. At the end of the concert, the whole band came to the VIP tent to say ‘Hi’. A couple of years later on my birthday (sheer coincidence – I bumped into Fintan (the hairdresser) and Adam (U2 bass player) in Grogans, a cool Dublin pub, and we had a laugh and a couple of pints together.

“During my years in Dublin I also met Brian Downey, drummer for Thin Lizzy and Liam Ó Maonlaí, then singer of Hot House Flowers. He then went solo, singing in Irish. Liam crashed at my place a few times – and, of course, I knew some of the musicians involved in the same fight as mine, which was to get a break: bands like Virgin Prunes with singer, Gavin Friday, a good friend of Bono, who was a neighbour for a while. Then after the band he, too, went solo.

“I knew Leslie Dowdall, singer for In Tua Nua, and also met the Irish film director, Neil Jordan, and some of the cast in the movie High Spirits, filmed in Ireland.”

As I said, Carlos Wilde has served an extensive apprenticeship, as I’m sure all musicians of ‘a certain age’ have. I know from experience, only a few make a solid living solely through music. Those who do are the lucky ones because, without huge slices of luck, today’s musicians will continue to push shit uphill, no matter how good they are. It takes good fortune and perseverance, and more perseverance to succeed. Carlos Wilde has it in spades.

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132 Comments

ANGELA CLARE BALL
on 07/08/2017 at 1:09 pm

Another refreshing insight into the blues story with a special mention for that which emerged from Portugal, alongside parallel acclaim for the talent and enticing career of Carlos Wilde – who just so happens to have his own personal link to the westernmost country of Europe.
For those familiar with Wilde’s music it is clear that his work is as varied as it is luring, possessing the unique ability to conjure up numbers which can range from the rawest punk to the most sensual melancholic blues. For those of you not yet familiar with Carlos,be certain that Paul Merry pays homage to this guy for the very reason that he is a musician like no other – comparable to none – and an artist truly worth discovering.
Great read – great tribute.

I met Carlos on Reverb Nation and was immediately impressed by the level and breadth of his talent. Great songs strong both lyrically and melodically with clean accessible arrangements and super guitar work! I check his site periodically looking for new releases and sometimes just to listen to a few of my favorites.

Carlos Wilde is a talented artist, whose voice, music and video productions present a refreshing mix of new, traditional and contemporary performances. It never ceases to amaze me how well he dominates so many languages of the world. He is deserving of great respect for his many accomplishments and talents.

I really enjoyed reading this fascinating article about Carlos Wilde, a gifted singer-songwriter and musician I have had the pleasure of knowing for many years. I was particularly interested in finding out about his early background singing fado in Portugal, where I am now based, and about all the musicians he had met in Ireland.

It is a great pleasure to read this article. Very well written. It’s actually amazing and impressive to read about it all! I also love your way to write Paul! How you go from one thing to another and get it together so well.

I really appreciated Carlos music. When I met his music….it was like a new world and I totally loved it from the first moment. I also early realized how talented Carlos are and also a very hard working person. And he give 100 % to everything he does…

After reading your first blog about Carlos it has been an enlightening read viewing this latest blog,very refreshing to see how your words flow in your own uniqueness. I will be looking forward to other blogs from you.To Carlos keep being inspired by those musicians that touched your heart and took your soul on this musical journey my hope for you is that you go far and inspire those that listen to your talent. GOOD LUCK.

Another fantastic read from you Paul. What a wealth of knowledge you are I will be looking out for you. It is great to be taken back and reminded as you do. I am happy to hear the news of a new album from Carlos too. After reading your first article earlier today. I went back and revisited his music, and there are so many fantastic songs. My personal favourite for a number of reasons is “This Side of Paradise”. The opening few bars are just sublime and they lead you to such delicious lyrics. I met an angel dancing in my lullaby; I felt the warmth of her heart; its just gorgeous and the phrasing in his delivery! A Perfect,Bluesy Rock Ballad Heaven. I just hope that he gets the coverage and exposure for his great talent.

Another wonderfully in-depth article on Carlos Wilde! This time I felt like I was taken on a musical voyage of his life. His influences musically, from fado (complete with wearing black capes to honor death and the darkly delightful) to blues-based guitar riffs to punk to feel-good pop (with a deeply introspective vibe) show Mr. Wilde as he should be seen: a truly multifaceted, unique and all-around amazing musician! One of the best out there today! Cheers! G.L. Giles

Nice in depth review of Carlos Wilde’s extensive musical background from age 6!! Enjoyable Read & exciting to learn so much more about my Friend, an excellent musician! His music ranges from the very soft and tender rock of “The Sound of Flowers” to Ecstatic Exciting Lyrics & Rocking tune “Love Me” To Great Down Home Dance music! I am so looking forward to his upcoming music! Carlos Wilde has his own artistic/musical way of blending tender emotion, the beauty/innocence of nature & feel good, get down & Rock Out Style!

Well, Wow! Do I now know Carlos better or what and I’ve still yet to meet him face to face. My experience in blues music has been limited by my own accord yet nearly every song Carlos creates has a modern bluesy undertone with some soulful twists that make his music exciting. Throw in his talent as a versatile guitarist and songwriting ability with a twist of modern day pop/rock and you’ll find Carlos Wilde staring you in the face. I not only like Carlos for his SKILLZ in singing and playing instruments but to record, change, and re-record all while holding down a teaching job leaves so much to be desired by other musicians. I commend Carlos even more because he sees the importance of being available and relavent to today’s music fans. He, as I do, sees the importance of promoting, marketing and otherwise setting a SOLID foundation to get his music in front of potential new fans. Carlos Wilde leaves no stone unturned when it comes to his music so he WILL find the way to the top using those stones to step his way to the top!! Keep making us love your music Carlos!

A great write up and wonderful follow up to your original piece. I have only been following Carlos Wilde’s music for a year or so when I began playing his music on KB Radio, but quickly became a fan of his style and sound, and what he puts into his music. He is one of those unique people, that anyone you talk to who has had the opportunity to meet interview or hear him perform, will have nothing but good things to say.

With a great pleasure I read in this interesting blog more facts from Carlos Wilde early musical life.I follow him on his musical pages and always find new surprising songs and can see progress in his career.Carlos Wilde is one of my favorite musicians not only because of his talent but also because of his Portuguese influences in his music.

what an amazing read 🙂 ……..Carlos is one of my most favorite artists …..exciting , catchy and very unique style he has with his writing and performances ……every song is exciting to listen too , and so hard not to dance too …lol…. I think one of my most fave tracks of Carlos’ is “My Way Home” …great catchy guitar riff and feel …all the best to you Carlos …will forever and always be a fan ….

This is an excellent article on Carlos Wilde that shows the different styles through out his career that molded his unique approach to song writing. You can definitely hear the various styles, culture and growth in each song that allows him to cross into various genre’s. He is a brilliant story teller with a melodic style all his own.

Interesting and informative article. Carlos Wilde is a terrific artist. He has developed a wonderful style with his mix of rock, punk, and pop. I also enjoyed your Palakiko Ferreira historical reference. Thank you for highlighting Carlos Wilde and the indie music scene. I look forward to reading more of your work.

Excellent article! Carlos is a rare treasure and those of us fortunate enough to have already discovered him appreciate the spotlight you are shining on him! I really enjoyed the section on Frank Ferera as well!These bits of musicology and world history you bring to the discussion really set your articles apart. Excellent journalism combined with a discerning choice of subjects. Thanks so much for your work!

I met Carlos Wilde on Reverbnation, Soundcloud, Facebook and Twitter. He’s an amazing musician/Songwriter. People really need to discover Carlos and support him in any way possible. Cheers to Paul for noticing such a talented musician.

About Carlos Wilde: his musical versatility is well matched by his vocal intensity. He has mastered his guitar, which bodes well with his story. I always liked what I heard from Carlos Wilde. I think that his abilities will continue to ride up the ladder of success.

hi Paul, first of all, let me share my appreciation and kudos for your wonderful blog and wanted to take the opportunity to second that emotion when it comes to this excellent post re my friend Carlos. Can’t recall how I was introduced to he and his wonderful music, just so pleased that I was. I’ve been exposed to some incredibly talented indie artists over the past decade as I’ve promoted my nephews and other artists in the social media arena and I would definitely place him in the top shelf category. If I was asked to describe his music (and personality) with one word it would be ‘joyous’ – his music for me always evokes a smile and the desire to move and then he can surprise you with a plaintive riff and vocal performance where the smile is accompanied by a tear and a warm heart. And as much as I enjoy his music, l have come to so appreciate his big heart and generous spirit. Artists that support other artists hold a special place in my heart and Carlos’ generosity in this regard speaks volumes about him. Don’t know what the future holds for this talented artist, but I do know know that he and his
music make a difference and this world is a better and more joyous place because of his presence here.

Thank you Paul, for this detailed article about Carlos and his music career. I learned a number of things about his history and came to appreciate him even more! I always felt he was a very gifted and prolific artist, and reading about his eclectic musical development and struggles was a very interesting read. I look forward, with great anticipation on the release of his new material.

Carlos’ music is absolutely spell binding! From “Phantom” to “Rok My World” and so many others, Carlos knows how to communicate the emotions of heart and soul with his music. He can capture your imagination with his music and still leave you yearning for more long after the song is over. What an awesome review of a truly seasoned song writer and performer! Best wishes for continued success!

Once again Paul, another exceptionally good article on Carlos Wilde. There is no doubt that Carlos is a hugely talented songwriter, musician and performer. Listening to his songs, each one for me has considerable commercial appeal. He’s also an excellent producer and arranger of his songs, the quality of which just seems to get better and better. So many listeners today have significantly shorter attention spans, so as songwriters it is important that we grab our audience as soon as possible. Carlos does this to considerable effect by hooking you in to some excellent intro’s that set the right mood for the rest of the song. He has the technique that makes songs sound good~Skills that simply require him to choose the right music that enhance and give depth to specific words in a song. Songs like “This side of Paradise’ is a perfect example of the high standard of writing and performance he is capable of. Last but not least, he comes across to me as being a thoroughly nice person and I wish him all the luck in the world that would enable him achieve all the success he most certainly deserves. Thank you once again Paul for your excellent work.

I would describe Carlos Wilde as a unique extremely talented hardworking artist. His songs are varied in style blending rock, funk and soul. He can even write a cool ballad as can be heard on ‘This Side Of Paradise’ His lyrics are thoughtful and witty performed with sincere passion.
Apart from being a talented musician Carlos also shows a genuine interest in other artist offering encouraging support.
If anyone deserves success and recognition it’s got to be Carlos Wilde.

Being a student of Blues music and Blues guitar, I found your article, fascinating Paul !! Young Carlos is a great artiste with lots of talent and potential – he will really make it !! When he becomes as good as his Uncle Marty – The world will know, what it’s all about !!

Being a fan of Carlos’s work is only the half of it! I respect what he does for others helping in every way he can by giving his advice and encouragement. Always willing to lend a hand, much kudos for this man!

Another well-written piece on Carlos Wilde. You have a knack for combining the historical, personal and current stories into a very informative article. I have enjoyed very much learning more about the life and hard work put in by this amazing artist. Living life as well as carrying on a career in music gives the artist a different perspective and feel for his lyrics.
My thanks to you both, for a wonderful article and to Carlos for his life’s music.

Carlos Wilde I had been fortunate to meet on a music site around 2006, however we connected off and on, for years. I was always curious what he might create next. With his constant work in music, I noticed along with it he brought his cultural background and was dedicated to his roots. It just seems like yesterday,his playing I could hear. I found he took his time in his musical composing and became very distinquisable in his music, following his own path.I did notice at first his music site did not have a long list of songs, but I never labelled anyone to any standard. It was more of a curiousity. I tend to be very creative but I am an analytical person, more in terms of curiousity, as what makes an artist, a musician ‘tick’. No one is the same, many are close in genres.
So that is one part of his persona I learned much from, was to take your time, and then show your artistic work when you, the artist, feels it’s truly ready to the listeners, friends to the public.
We learn different aspects of music from many other artists, I certainly have. I must add again, that I always been an engaged in history, having a degree in it was inevitable. I tried to read from different sources, often away from the mainstream. We learn different ways and as when I taught I told my students, if you have nothing else happening after you graduate, go travel. It’s what I did, immersed myself in other cultures, seeing through their eyes, as travel is not just about place, it’s about cultural similarities and differences.
I had been several times to Spain, and did go to Portugal. I learned music from visiting Cuba 3 times in the last 3 years.
I finally played with some professional musicians I met on my 2nd visit, who invited me to play when I came back again. I had learned latin music further in these several years, with always more jazz and blues. So, on my third trip I sat in with these guys in Havana, at a hotel, and it was a great experience. They were friends, their professionalism had fun in it. There is a chemistry that happens. Having sat in on some casual music going on, many times in my Toronto, Canada places, so Cuban musicians taught me something new I could not have learned from any other way, trying a new never heard of instrument for example.
So, to get back to Carlos cultural roots, I again learned something new, in the historic context of his culture,as being a blues guitar player for the most part, and spending much time in my career, I learned here about Portugal and blues, as in the blog, I was quite taken happily that Portugal has its own part to play in the history of blues. A Hawaiian slide guitarist, of Portuguese heritage, Palakiko Ferreira, early on went to America in the early 1900’s and became well known and influenced other musicians. Also, one thing I did not know is the ukulele was introduced by Portuguese players who took it to Hawaii. This is one reason, people need to source more than mainstream knowledge, and esp. what’s in school textbooks. I’ve always known the influence of Spanish music, esp. the guitar styles, but Portugal has made its mark also.
What I find interesting is every country has had something to offer in musical their musical culture. We should always be open minded and respect that music develops from different places and each place will take what they heard from somewhere else and add to it, creating a unique fusion.
Carlos has always inspired me as being a unique musician/composer. He was into electric guitar when I was into acoustic slide guitar playing I recall, but even then, I am sure I had picked up elements from his music, listening to his songs over again.
That’s what it’s much about, appreciating his artistry and his ideas, our past conversations, all I felt were meaningful. So, with much respect Carlos, I’m very glad we had crossed paths, and still of course remain friends. I like this blog very much. Out of it I learned some things that I may have not learned elsewhere. For that, this has been a rewarding experience and being honoured to be a part of the many wishes, for more to come from a great musician and catch up on recent music.

Wow! Everything I read about Carlos Wilde has me wondering how he manages to keep up with his many fans while continuing to release so much excellent content, both with songs and videos.
I can add that Carlos is a very kind person in that he’s given me a slice of his busy day to help me understand how to pursue my interests on social media, especially on ReverbNation, where we ‘met.’

HIs craft never seems to suffer from his diverse interests – his songwriting is both serene and biting, always performed with excellence in every area of recording (one of my primary fields of work). Carlos Wilde is a class act and this was a great blog – thank you!